Tag Archives: Cape Breton
Lobster season delayed in Cape Breton by weather
Fishermen from Bay St. Lawrence to Gabarus have caught a couple extra days to prepare for lobster fishing season. Herb Nash of Glace Bay, a fisherman and president of the 4Vn Management Board Association, said opening day for Area 27 was May 15 but was postponed until Wednesday at 5 a.m. He said it the decision came from the Department of Fisheries and Oceans and the harbour representatives due to high winds in the forecast. “They will be adding the two days to the end,” he said. “The fishermen don’t mind the cancellation because of the forecast — they can’t set traps in that weather anyway.” Click here to read the story 11:39
Compensation coming for lobster fishermen sidelined by Maritime Link work
The company behind the Maritime Link has agreed to compensation for a group of 60 Cape Breton lobster and crab fishermen affected by the project this season. Work began last month on installing one of two 170-kilometre cables that will eventually cross the ocean floor between Cape Ray, N.L., and Point Aconi, N.S. At landfall in Cape Breton, cable laying and other offshore construction activity will close a three-kilometre-long and 600-metre-wide swath of ocean bottom to lobster fishing for the entire 2017 lobster season. “Emera needs a safety installation zone that remains clear of all fishing gear and that’s particularly important during the summer cable landing,” said Jeff Myrick, senior communications manager with Emera Newfoundland and Labrador, a subsidiary of Halifax-based Emera Inc. Terms of the compensation deal reached with the fishermen are not being released, he said.,, ‘Only reasonable’ to expect compensation click here to read the story 12:12
Proposed Cape Breton Trough Marine Protected Area – Fishermen left in the dark
Cape Breton fishermen are concerned that a proposed Marine Protected Area (MPA) off the western coast of the island could result in the closure of the local snow crab fishery. Bill MacDonald, a fisherman for three decades in the region and member of the Area 19 Snow Crab Fisherman’s Association, told the Chronicle Herald the association became aware the government was considering creating an MPA in the fishing region during a meeting with DFO officials last month, but said there’s been no additional information provided since. Because of fishing regulations in other MPAs, MacDonald said he has concerns the $70 million lobster and snow crab fishery that has supported the small coastal region for many generations could be at risk. MPAs are federally designated areas where human activity is limited in order to protect sensitive ecosystems and at-risk species. MacDonald said the association has been left in the dark, not only about the implications for the crab and lobster fishery in the area, but also about why the area is being considered at all. Read the story here 10:10
Victoria Co. snow crab fishermen could be hit hardest by quota cuts
Snow crab fishermen in the waters off Cape Breton are preparing for a leaner season this year, with quota cuts approved or proposed in both the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the Atlantic Ocean. While most fishermen know the fishery is cyclical and they need to take fewer crab when the stock is low, those in Crab Fishing Areas 20 to 22 – which covers the Atlantic side of the island, along the Cabot Trail from Glace Bay to Bay St. Lawrence – are facing a steep cut that could be as high as 45 per cent. What’s more, the subsea cable for the Maritime Link,, Read the article here 17:14
Cape Breton lobster fisherman who died Monday lost his own father to the sea
The Cape Breton lobster fisherman who died Monday in a fishing accident off the coast of southwestern Nova Scotia was the son of a fisherman who was also killed at sea, according to his great-uncle. Keith Stubbert, 53, was setting lobster traps on the Cockawit Lady when he fell overboard Monday on the first day of the area’s lucrative lobster season. Stubbert was from a family of fishermen, his great-uncle, Emerson Stubbert, told CBC on Tuesday. His father, Edward Stubbert, also died while lobster fishing. Sadly, Read the article here 17:34
Cape Breton lobster fisherman dies after falling overboard
A lobster fisherman died in hospital after falling overboard southwest of Yarmouth on Monday morning. Two others were safely pulled from the water after they went in the water from another boat in the area, marking a tragic start to the lobster season. He fell from the Cock-A-Wit Lady sometime before 9 a.m. Shortly before that incident, two other people went into the water in the same area off a boat called Nomada Queen I. Read the article here 17:50
Cape Breton energy plans worry fishermen
Although no oil and gas activity is expected in Cape Breton waters in the foreseeable future, fishermen say they have concerns about their livelihood and the future of their communities if petroleum exploration begins in the area. “I’m certainly concerned,” said Merrill MacInnis, a crab and lobster fisherman from Jersey Cove, near Englishtown, Victoria County.“We all are. Fishing is the lifeline of our rural communities here. “It could jeopardize our livelihoods, this whole thing, and maybe we should try and put a moratorium in like they’ve got in Georges Bank,,, Read the article here 09:39
Right whales have Cape Breton Whelk fishermen on hold.
One Cape Breton fisherman says concern over changing migration patterns of endangered right whales are already having an impact on his ability to earn a living. Derrick Wadden, a multi-species fisherman, said he invested more than $7,000 this year in ropes and custom-made traps for whelk, a large, undersea snail, in hopes of going fishing this month. Fisheries and Oceans Canada had indicated fishing conditions for whelk licences would be issued at the beginning of September, he said, but the conditions have been delayed due to concern about the potential for right whales to get tangled in gear. Read the rest here 14:56
Nobody wants to answer the phone when a whale corpse needs to be removed
Dead whale is the kind of stink you never forget. Dwayne MacDonald has smelled it, and he doesn’t want to inflict its lingering aromas on his fellow Cape Bretoners. “This is something that happens every year,” he said. “It’s not a major shock when a whale washes up in Inverness County.” He’s the councillor for the area, and has heard about three dead whales in the last week. “Every year, the same process starts where a resident calls around to different levels of government and says, ‘How do we handle this?’ And they pass the buck to the next person down the line.” Read the rest here 08:32
Lobster season begins on the North Shore and in Cape Breton
Traps are being prepared and loaded onto boats by fisherman in northern Nova Scotia and Cape Breton for the first day of their lobster season. “Feels great to get back at ‘er,” says Colin MacDonald. At Ballantynes Cove, 20 minutes north of Antigonish, around a dozen fishermen like MacDonald were up before 5 a.m. getting ready. Read the rest here 11:55
Lobster fishermen look to fill local plates, including selling their catch off their boats
There are no official numbers as to how many people buy at local wharfs, although Brzeski believes fishermen do stand to benefit from people’s buy-local preferences. “People are starting to think about that: if I sell my lobsters directly to the consumers, it’s fresher, it’s better, maybe I can make a little bit more and become a little bit independent of the buyers that are trying to keep the prices as low as they can. Read the rest here 22:10
Cape Breton: millions of dollars of the crustacean being held in live storage, fishermen are expected to tie up boats
“I haven’t seen this happen before in my time. There is that many lobster that we can’t even get crates to hold them,” Kennedy said. “I’d say that for just myself, I’m probably sitting on about $1.7 million worth of lobster. I wouldn’t be shy to say there there is $10 to $12 million in lobsters floating right now in Cape Breton. Buyers have them bought, but can’t sell them.” Read more here 23:27
Lobster season in eastern Cape Breton launches today
Setting day for about 540 fishermen was supposed to be Saturday, but because a lot of fishermen weren’t ready, it was decided to set a few days later. Some fishermen were still waiting to get their boats launched and others were digging traps out of ice and snow. Read more here 17:22
Cape Breton Premium Seafoods plant destroyed by fire
Edgar Samson, president of Premium Seafoods Group, said he was saddened by the loss of the groundfish facility and retail market. He said the facility employed 60 to 70 people. The company has two other facilities that were not damaged. more@cbcnews 06:00
Cape Breton’s bright orange lobsters surprise fish market
Chris Field, the manager at the Fisherman’s Market, said he’s never seen anything like it. “Today we’ve got 35 new additions to our pet tank. These are all orange lobsters that came from Cape Breton. The odds of that are pretty, pretty remote.” continued@msnnovascoctia
N.S. fishermen say EI repayment crackdown unfair
Fishermen in a small Cape Breton community say the latest crackdown on Employment Insurance is casting a dark cloud over their community. continued@cbcnews
Lobster Glut – Cape Breton plants struggle to handle extra lobster
Record landings along parts of the Cape Breton coast have resulted in a backlog of lobster. As a result, large buyers in Area 26B, from Pleasant Bay to the Canso Causeway, won’t be buying on Saturday, while they attempt to get rid of some of the backlog. continued
The Blessing of the Fleet: Cape Breton fishermen pray as lobster season begins
Nova Scotia lobster fishermen and their families gathered on their boats in Main-a-Dieu on Sunday for the annual Blessing of the Fleet ceremony. “Protect our fishers during this fishing season and give them a bountiful catch,” Father Savarimuthu Rajasekar prayed. The ceremony is a tradition in many fishing communities. continued
